24 October 2010: The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministers of Agriculture of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (Plus Three Countries) met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 24 October 2010, to discuss cooperation in agriculture and forestry.

In the resulting joint press statement, Ministers reaffirm strong support in advancing cooperation in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors as guided by the Second Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation, including the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan (2007-2017). Ministers express their support to the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Strategy on Food, Agriculture and Forestry with the goal to ensure long-term food security and to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the ASEAN and Plus Three Countries. The Strategy provides a framework for enhanced cooperation in the area of food security, biomass energy development, sustainable forest management, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, among others.

Ministers note ongoing progress in the development of an ASEAN Plus Three comprehensive strategy on food security and bioenergy development. They also endorse three new project proposals from the Plus Three Countries, for capacity building in food security, rural household biogas technology and management, and regional mangrove conservation cooperation. Ministers decided to hold their next meeting in Indonesia in 2011. [ASEAN Press Release]